Towering Haunted House Cake

Name: Towering Haunted House Cake
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 30 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 2 c. granulated sugar; 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 tsp. baking soda; 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. kosher salt; 3 large eggs; 2/3 c. vegetable oil; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1 c. milk, warm; 2 1/2 c. unsalted butter (5 sticks), at room temperature; 7 1/2 c. sifted confectioner's sugar; 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract; Pinch kosher salt; 17 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed, divided; Black food coloring; 1 c. black candy melts; Black fondant; Silver luster dust; White fondant; Wilton bones and skulls sprinkles, for top of windows and door; Black and Gray Sixlets, for roof and balcony; Green sprinkles, for moss; Green licorice or sour strings, for plants; Black and gunmetal dragées, for above windows and door and along house corners; Silver & white lollipops, for door trim

It's creepy, yes, but also totally delicious.

By Tara BenchPublished: Sep 6, 2019

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Brian Woodcock

Yields:

30 serving(s)

Total Time:

5 hrs

Up for a Halloween baking challenge? We've got one for you right here—and it's just as rewarding as it looks. You'll build this spooky house with two 9- by 13-inch cakes, and you can use our handy template for fence outline, building, and decorating plans! Just remember to make the cake recipe twice (see below) to ensure that you have enough to assemble the final house.

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Ingredients

For the Cake (Make Twice):

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 large eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk, warm

For the Vanilla Buttercream and Decoration:

2 1/2 cups unsalted butter (5 sticks), at room temperature
7 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Pinch kosher salt
17 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed, divided
Black food coloring
1 cup black candy melts
Black fondant
Silver luster dust
White fondant
Wilton bones and skulls sprinkles, for top of windows and door
Black and Gray Sixlets, for roof and balcony
Green sprinkles, for moss
Green licorice or sour strings, for plants
Black and gunmetal dragées, for above windows and door and along house corners
Silver & white lollipops, for door trim

Directions

Make cake:
1. Step 1Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- by 13-inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease parchment.
2. Step 2Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk. Whisk on medium-low until smooth, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
3. Step 3Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake, rotating once, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack, right side up, and cool completely.
4. Step 4Repeat steps 1–3 to make a second cake. Wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Make buttercream and decorations:
1. Step 1Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla and salt. (Use within 2 hours or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat until smooth.)
2. Step 2Transfer 1 2/3 cups buttercream to a separate bowl, stir in 10 crushed cookies. Color remaining buttercream gray with black food coloring; transfer 1 cup to a zip-top bag and snip a small hole in one corner (or to a piping bag fitted with a #16 open star tip).
3. Step 3Set fence template on a baking sheet; top with parchment paper. Melt black candy melts per package directions; transfer to a zip-top bag and snip a very small hole in 1 corner. Pipe melted candy on to parchment, following template; chill.
4. Step 4Cut cake according to template. Place 1 base layer on a platter; frost top with about 2/3 cup cookie buttercream. Repeat with remaining base layer, frosting only the left-hand side. Place second-story layer on frosting; frost top with about 1/3 cup frosting; top with remaining second story layer. Place tower pieces next to the second story, frosting between the layers. Top with roof pieces, frosting between layers. Frost outside with gray buttercream. Use a cake comb to create siding texture.
5. Step 5Roll black fondant to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using templates, cut windows and door; gently press a butter knife onto the windows to create panes. Brush windows and door lightly with luster dust; attach to house. Roll together some black and white fondant and make small marbled stones for the walkway.
6. Step 6Using the gray frosting in the piping bag as “glue,” decorate the roof, windows, and all outside with candies. Add the Chocolate Fence. Use remaining 7 crushed cookies to create a path.